Five Smart Ways to Stay Fit during the Holiday Season

The good news is jollof rice and other delicacies abound everywhere from office parties to family gatherings. An even better news is you can enjoy the holiday season and still stick to your fitness goals.

30 Nov

Jollof rice and chicken season is coming soon or has it already started for you? Whichever way, this season despite its festivities and celebrations poses a dilemma to fitness enthusiasts everywhere – How does one enjoy the abundance of food and drinks and still stick to their fitness plans. The good news is jollof rice and other delicacies abound everywhere from office parties to family gatherings. An even better news is you can enjoy the holiday season and still stick to your fitness goals. Here are five ways to achieve that:

1. Drink lots and lots of water daily. You might make the mistake on over indulging on food when you are actually dehydrated and thirsty. Before you try one of your favourite holiday goodies, have a glass of water. It will help soften your craving and eat more moderately.

2. Don’t sit down for long hours. The holidays are filled with parties and visits with family and friends, but when you’re not dancing with loved ones, you might often find yourself plopped on the bed or sofa. Sitting around at gatherings with families and friends for an hour here and an hour there—especially when combined with a sedentary 9-5 job—can add up to hours on end with little movement. Make sure you move more this season. Use the stairs. Walk a bit more.

3. Improvise your Workouts. As holiday obligations arise, sticking to your normal workout routine can start to feel like an impossible mission, but a hectic schedule doesn’t give you a pass to skip getting your sweat on, you want to make your workout happen, whether or not the circumstances are ideal. Remember, the only bad workout is the one you didn’t do. Your workout doesn’t have to be perfect. If for some reason you can’t access the gym, clear out some space in your room and work out. Incoporate more dancing, If you start having more fun with fitness this holiday season, staying active won’t feel so much like work!

4. Short term goals. Having a short-term goal on the horizon prevents you from slacking on your diet (or training) too much at any one point in the year. Everything is good in moderation, but when you have a training or race goal in the next month or two, then you’re less likely to throw off your fitness by overindulging for an entire week. The short-term goals keep you in check.”

5. Prepare for 2018. Finally, if you are going to set a New Year’s resolution, make sure you plan it out properly beforehand. Writing down and planning for your goals may make you more likely to achieve them, so that’s the first place to start. Then, between Christmas and New Year’s, clear your cupboards of last year’s junk to give yourself a fresh start. Rid yourself of all the bad foods that you’ve been keeping in the house so they aren’t there to tempt you, Give yourself a new beginning. You don’t have to go 0-100; you can start slow. Taking small, manageable steps will eventually lead to your larger goal.

If you’re looking to spruce up your motivation, go out and get some new gym gear. “A new gym outfit can help give you a fresh start and reignite your motivation for your goals. Watch some videos on YouTube for motivation. You got this!